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Cats and the Other Lives

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch • 2022

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Quick resume

Part interactive fiction, part Felis domesticus adventure, “Cats and the Other Lives” explores the reunion of a broken family from the perspective of their house cat, Aspen.

Global score

91/100

Genres

Adventure, Point-and-click, Simulator, Indie, Puzzle

Similar games

    Pros

    • Deep and emotional story
    • Realistic and charming cat behavior
    • Beautiful pixel art and music
    • Immersive atmosphere
    • Accessible gameplay

    Cons

    • Frustrating minigame controls
    • Linear and restrictive gameplay
    • Slow pacing for some players
    • Lack of customization
    • Some bugs reported

    Analysis

    Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Survival, Violence, Fellowship, Expression. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Intimacy, Story. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Strategy.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Motivations

    • Autonomy
      3

      "Players control the cat Aspen and direct its actions freely within a linear narrative, with some agency in exploration and puzzle solving."

    • Competence
      1

      "Gameplay is mostly simple point-and-click with some puzzles and a few challenging minigames, but overall low difficulty."

    • Competition
      -5

      "No competitive elements; focus is on personal story experience and exploration without comparison to others."

    • Continuation
      3

      "Many players report immersive story and emotional engagement leading to long play sessions and desire to finish."

    • Cooperation
      -5

      "Single-player experience focused on individual exploration and narrative; no multiplayer or teamwork."

    • Creativity
      2

      "Players interact with environment and solve puzzles creatively as a cat, but within a mostly linear, predefined story."

    • Domination
      -5

      "No elements of exerting control over others; interactions are observational and cooperative in narrative only."

    • Escapism
      4

      "Strong emotional story and immersive atmosphere provide players with a meaningful escape from real life."

    • Expectation
      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily driven by intrinsic interest in story, cats, and narrative experience."

    • Experimenting
      1

      "Some exploration and puzzle experimentation, but mostly guided linear progression limits novelty."

    • Exploration
      2

      "Players explore a mansion environment and uncover story elements, though exploration is limited and guided."

    • Expression
      -3

      "Limited customization or self-expression; players control a fixed cat character with preset animations."

    • Fantasy
      2

      "Game blends realistic cat behavior with supernatural elements like visions and ghosts, creating a mild fantasy."

    • Fellowship
      -5

      "No social or community features; experience is solitary and narrative-focused."

    • Growth
      2

      "Players learn about characters and story depth; gameplay offers some skill development in puzzles."

    • Health
      -5

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related features."

    • Idle
      -3

      "Requires player attention to progress story and solve puzzles; some slow pacing but not idle gameplay."

    • Intimacy
      3

      "Emotional connection to characters and story fosters a sense of closeness and empathy."

    • Leadership
      -5

      "No leadership or management roles; player acts as observer and participant in a fixed narrative."

    • Progression
      2

      "Story and puzzle progression drive the experience; no item collection or upgrades."

    • Relaxation
      3

      "Generally calm and cozy atmosphere with moments of emotional catharsis; some tension in minigames."

    • Sensation
      3

      "Appealing pixel art, animations, and music provide sensory enjoyment and emotional engagement."

    • Status
      -5

      "No social recognition or status systems; focus is on personal narrative experience."

    • Story
      5

      "Strong narrative immersion with well-developed characters and emotional storytelling."

    • Strategy
      0

      "Minimal strategic challenge; puzzles require some thinking but mostly straightforward progression."

    • Thrill
      0

      "Some suspenseful moments and minigames, but overall a calm narrative experience."

    • Value
      3

      "Players report good value for time spent due to story quality and emotional impact."

    • Violence
      -5

      "No enjoyment of combat or destruction; gameplay focuses on exploration and narrative."

    • Survival
      -5

      "No survival mechanics or threat avoidance; stable and safe environment."

    Where to buy

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    Last update: 29/04/2026